You should see the chaos in my apartment. Wait a second! I take that back. I would NEVER want any of you to see the chaos in my apartment! Desk covered in papers, to-do lists, and a bunch of crap that needs to be put away. Floor covered in reference photos, paints & brushes & the partially finished portrait that I have been commissioned to do for Indigo's school. Bins from Art Hop that need to be inventoried & put away. Packages ready to go to the post office, trash ready to be taken out, laundry for neighbor to finish with the dryer so I can dry it so that....I can pack!
That's right, this evening I am leaving for a much-needed getaway. It is Mary's birthday and we are having an all-girl, grownups only weekend trip to the beach! It is only hours away, but I. Cannot. Wait. Except that I am SO thankful that I work from home so that I can take care of all of that chaos mentioned in the previous paragraph before I leave! That way I can go & relax, and come back to a moment of harmony before it gets all mixed up again.
If you are a customer, my shops are still open! I just won't be able to answer any convos until Sunday night, and besides one final trip to the post office this afternoon, I won't be able to ship your orders until Tuesday (5/26).
I hope you all have a great Memorial Day Weekend too!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
I Love Portland (or, "How Was the Alberta Art Hop?")
In case I don't say it often enough, I really do love this town :) Yesterday at the Art Hop was awesome! The weather was sunny enough for everyone to shed their Winter layers for their pretty/hip/wacky/funky/skimpy/whatever else Summer ones, which made for great people watching. We had a nice cool breeze most of the day, which kept the sun from being overpowering. I had lots of friends visit my booth, even some friends from London who were on their last day in Portland before flying home! Here are some photos from the day and a little video clip of the parade:
I brought sidewalk chalk and Danielle and I colored the street in front of our booth. We only had one person do our hopscotch though.
I brought sidewalk chalk and Danielle and I colored the street in front of our booth. We only had one person do our hopscotch though.
Here's my half of the booth. With one half of the tent up against a curb, we were on a steep enough hill for everything to be pretty crooked. :)
Danielle :)
And finally, part of the parade!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Alberta Art Hop 2009!
This Saturday is the Alberta Art Hop! With a great weather forecast, I am so psyched. I am sharing a booth, as always, with Danielle of MissPurl, and I'll be painting in the booth most of the day. So make sure to stop by, say hi, and check out my new artwork & Danielle's fabulous earrings! We'll be on 20th and Alberta. See you there!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Hip Happening this Saturday--get those last minute Mother's Day gifts!
Come visit me this Saturday at my booth at Hip Happening in Sellwood! I have never tried this venue before, so I am very exited to check it out. It will be a great opportunity to check out lots of local art and pick out something last minute for your Mama (she'll never know, and even if she did, she'll be glad you waited for such awesome stuff!).
See you there!
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Pleasure and Purpose
"Pleasure," 2009 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.Last month I had a goal: to post enough new items in my shop to have 100 items listed. I fell just short of it--with 94 listed on the last day of the month and one sale that afternoon, I had 93 by the end of the day (yay!). However, I still feel that I reached my goal, as I have 95 items listed at this moment and more than enough new drawings and paintings to bring that number over 100 (I like to space out my listings a bit rather than posting them all on the same day).
What is the point of such a goal? For me, it is two-fold.
From a business standpoint, I have noticed that some of the more successful artists on Etsy have a LOT of items in their shops. Like, hundreds. How does this help them? Well, first of all, due to the number and variety of items listed, they are more likely to come up in various searches. Due to the frequency with which they are listing, they are also more likely to come up at or near the top of those searches. Secondly, it means that they are constantly creating new work which keeps their shops fresh and their customers interested.
From a personal standpoint, having a specific, numeric goal helps me keep focused on what I am doing from one day to the next. It motivates me to get off the computer and get to painting. I always find it fascinating that I should need that motivation--after all, painting is what I really love, not marketing or answering emails or blogging. I like doing those things too, but the painting is the driving force behind them, not the other way around! However, as I'm sure many of you know, it is easy to get lost on the internet, moving from one hyperlink to the next and procrastinating on the things that we really love to do the most.
So, the goal for this month? Get 110 items listed. That, despite the two shows I have coming this month and any and all online sales, too! So, if you really want to challenge me then get to shopping! ;)
What is the point of such a goal? For me, it is two-fold.
From a business standpoint, I have noticed that some of the more successful artists on Etsy have a LOT of items in their shops. Like, hundreds. How does this help them? Well, first of all, due to the number and variety of items listed, they are more likely to come up in various searches. Due to the frequency with which they are listing, they are also more likely to come up at or near the top of those searches. Secondly, it means that they are constantly creating new work which keeps their shops fresh and their customers interested.
From a personal standpoint, having a specific, numeric goal helps me keep focused on what I am doing from one day to the next. It motivates me to get off the computer and get to painting. I always find it fascinating that I should need that motivation--after all, painting is what I really love, not marketing or answering emails or blogging. I like doing those things too, but the painting is the driving force behind them, not the other way around! However, as I'm sure many of you know, it is easy to get lost on the internet, moving from one hyperlink to the next and procrastinating on the things that we really love to do the most.
So, the goal for this month? Get 110 items listed. That, despite the two shows I have coming this month and any and all online sales, too! So, if you really want to challenge me then get to shopping! ;)
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Kreativ Blogger Award!
My friend Amanda at Bread and Badger gave me this Kreativ Blogger award yesterday! Thank you Amanda! I would like to keep the award moving, so here are 8 blogs that I love to read (how to choose?!?):
1. http://amarchewka.blogspot.com/
2. http://washibymaoiliosa.blogspot.com/
3. http://the-babble-belt.blogspot.com/
4. http://octavineillustration.blogspot.com/
5. http://christopherandtia.blogspot.com/
6. http://dollsforfriends.com/news/
7. http://littledaisychains.blogspot.com/
8. http://stoneweaver.blogspot.com/
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